October 22, 1999
What does Columbus Day mean to you? The day the world got smaller? The advent of a new age? Maybe just a day off from school?
For millions of people throughout North and South America, the arrival of Columbus to the Western Hemisphere marks the beginning of hundreds of years of subjugation, exile and cultural disfranchisement. So in 1990 —in response to plans for upcoming Columbus quincen-tennial celebrations— representatives from native groups spanning Canada, the United States and Latin America came together to form CONIC (Continental Council of Indigenous Organizations and Nations/El Consejo de Organizaciones y Naciones Indígenas del Continente), a consortium dedicated to advancing the rights of indigenous people in the Americas. Since then, CONIC has been instrumental in coordinating efforts to protect human rights, advance sustainable development, demarcate traditional lands, strengthen new democratic units, and devise strategies and mechanisms to facilitate full participation by indigenous people in their nations' political and economic spheres.
A one-day public conference with a unique international perspective will bring representatives from CONIC's broad constituency to UCLA on Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Ackerman Grand Ballroom. "First Nations in the New World Order: Indigenous Organizing for the New Millennium" ("Las Naciones Originales Dentro del Nuevo Mundial: Pueblos Indígenas Organizado Para el Nuevo Milenio") will address topics ranging from cultural revitalization, land struggles and self-governance to the impact of globalization on indigenous communities through transnational migration and international agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The conference at UCLA, which will follow three days of strategy meetings at Occidental College, will also serve to educate both the campus and the community at large, including native peoples living in southern California, about the many grassroots initiatives organized by CONIC.
Among the participants will be representatives of the Mahawk, Seminole, Black-foot, Lakota, Navajo and Chickaloon (Alaska) nations, as well as from Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and Canada.
Duane Champagne, director of the UCLA American Indian Studies Center, explained that the international aspect of the conference indicates a commonality of vital issues that transcend geographic borders. "The CONIC consortium of Indigenous Nations is coming here to speak with members of all communities about important issues that we face in the new millennium: the environment, human rights and toleration, democracy, ethnic and cultural revitalization, trade agreements and land use," said Champagne. "The unique aspect of this conference is that recognized indigenous leaders from Alaska to Chile will speak for themselves about the issues that concern them most. Let us listen."
The timing of the conference coincides not only with Columbus Day, but also with National American Indian Heritage Month, proclaimed last year by President Clinton to be observed annually throughout the month of November.
Registration for the conference, which is free, begins at 8 a.m. A reception and cultural presentation featuring the Los Angeles Intertribal Dance Troupe will close the conference at 6 p.m.
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